Tracking device for player pianos



I. P. HULDER.

TRACKING DEVICE FOR PLAYER PI ANOS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1920.

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' TRACKING DEVICE FOR PLAYER PIANOS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1920. I I 1,422,713. Patented July 11,1922.

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NEW YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO THE UNIT PLAYER ACTION (70., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TRACKING DEVICE roe PLAYER PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1922.

Application filed'netober 19, 1920. Serial No. 417,893.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH P. HULDER, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tracking Devices for Player Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in tracking devices for player pianos or other musical instruments employing traveling perforated note-sheets, of the type in which correct registration between the perforations in the sheet and the corresponding openings in the tracker-bar is automatically maintained by means of pneumatic apparatus, the operation of which is governed by a guideopening over which an edge of the sheet travels. 1 l o In a pneumatic tracking device of'this type, it is necessary to provide a bleed at some point between the air.exhausting apparatus and the guide-opening passage so that said passage will be under exhaust while the sheet is tracking properly. It has been found in practise that the bleeds frequently become clogged with particles of'dust or lint which are drawn in through the guideopening, and thereby vent proper operation of the device. Slight lateral particularly in the case of the modern 88 note players, are sufficient to dis turb the alignment of-the perforations and the openings in the tracker-bar. Now

as the area of the bleed is necessarily small,

and as the device should be responsive to slight displacements of the sheet, it will be readily seen that even a partial clogging. of the bleed impairs efficient working. Furthermore, in such mechanisms, as new con hamper or predisplacements of the note-sheet,

lint that is lodged in the groove will be drawn out by the suction or draft created by re-rolling the sheet. l I

Another object is to mount all of the oper ative parts of the tracking device on a carriage which is movable longitudinally with relation to the tracker-bar, and whereby transposition of the note-sheet may be effected without interference with the operation of said device.

A further object is to provide pneumatic means for automatically centering the notesheet carrying roll, so as to assure that the sheet will re-wind properly and that it will pass over the groove, whereby to clean the latter, during re-rolling.

To these ends, as well as others not specifically mentioned, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts, hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,.illustrat ing a preferred form of my'invention;

Figure 1, is a front view ofa combined transposing and automatic tracking. device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2, is a detailed view, partly .in section, showing portions of the carriage and the operative parts of the tracking device mounted thereon; and, i i n Fig. 3, is a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. i

The tracker box is fixed to a suitable part of the instrument (not shown) and consists of a pair of side walls 1 and E2, and arear wall provision of a carriage which is movable lon-' gitudinally, in either direction, with respect to the tracker-box, and upon which the op erative parts of the tracking device are mounted. This carriage comprises end members 8 and 9, and longitudinally extending 3. A tracker-bar 4, having the usual openrods 10 and 11 which pass through and are supported in openings in the side walls of the tracker-box.

The carrying roll 12, which carries the perforated note-sheet 18, is supported at one end on a thrust bearing 14 and at its other end on a longitudinally movable spindle 16. The bearing 14 is carried in a sleeve 15 which pro jects inwardly from the end member 8 of the carriage. The take-up roll 17 is loosely mounted on a spindle 18 and is driven by means of a pin 19 projecting from a collar 20 keyed to the spindle and engaging an opening in the flange of'said roll.

A screw 21 threadedly engages a nut 22 secured to the end 8 of the carriage. The shank of the screw is supported in a bracket 23 bolted to the tracker box wall 1. The screw has aknurled head 24 whereby it can be turned. A collar 25, fastened to the inner end of the shank, prevents endwise movement of the screw with respect to the support 26 is an arm depending from the carriage member 8 and carrying at its lower end a bent arm 27 which engages in a circular groove 28 formed in the hub 29 of the takeup roll 17. An adjusting screw 30 is provided to limit the travel of the carriage. It will be seen from the foregoing description that by merely turning the screw 21, the carriage together with the parts mounted thereon may be moved to the right or left, as the case may be, and thereby eifect transposition of the-note-sheet.

31 is a power pneumatic of. known construction secured to the outer face of a valve box 32, which valve box is mounted on the end member 8 of the carriage. An arm is carried by the movable member of the pneumatic 31 and is connected by a rod 34- with a lever 35, which lever is fulcrumed at 36 in a right angled support 37 fixed to the end member 9 of the carriage. The end of: the rod 34 which engages the lever 85 is threaded and provided with lock nuts 38 to permit of adjustment. The lever 35, at a point intermediate its ends, abuts against the outer end oi the spindle 16. In operation of the tracking device, whenthe pneumatic 31 collapses, the lever 35 will be drawn to the left, thus shifting the spindle 16 and the notesheet carrying roll 12 in that direction. \Vhen, on the other hand, the pneumatic 31 expands, the thrust bearing 14 will force the roll 12 and spindle 16 in the opposite direc tion. It will be understood that only a slight shifting of the sheet in one direction or the other is required to correct improper trackmg.

The tracker-bar 4 is notched at 89 to receive a plate 40 which is fastened to the rod 10 of the carriage, preferably by means of a sleeve 41 and screw 42 so as to permit of ad justment. 43 is a guide fastened to the plate 40 and received in a longitudinal groove 44 formed in the lower edge of the tracker-bar adjacent to the ends of the notch 39. The face of the plate 40 is flush with that of the tracker-bar so that the note-sheet can travel smoothly over it, and the notch 39 is wider than the plate to permit of longitudinal adjustment of the latter. It will be seen that the plate 40 will move with the carriage when the latter is shifted to eil'ect transposition of the note-sheet. To facilitate transposition, the tracker-bar is preferably provided with graduations above the notched portion 39 and the plate 40 with an index mark, as seen in Fig. 2.

The means for governing or inaugurating operation of the tracking device include two openings 45 and 46, and a connecting groove or channel 47. Preferably these openings and groove are formed in the face of the adjustable plate 40 of the tracker-bar, but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself in this respect as I am aware that the openings and groove may be formed in the :tace of the tracker-bar itself, or in the face of some other appurtenant part.

The opening 45 constitutes the guide opening and it is so positioned or adjusted as to be partly covered by an edge of the note-sheet 13, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 1, when said sheet is traveling properly. The opening 46, which communicates with the air exhausting apparatus of the instrument and which may be called the exhaust-opening, is disposed so as to be entirely covered by the edge portion of the traveling sheet. The groove 47, which connects the gui(lo-opening 45 and the exhaust-opening 46, is formed with a crosssectional area which is substantially equal to the area of the normally uncovered portion of the guide-opening 45. This groove, when covered by the traveling notesheet, constitutes the bleed between the guideopening and the exhaust-opening. Now, as the area of the bleed is substantially equal to that of the normally uncovered portion of the guide-opening, it is evident that the air which enters said opening while the note-sheet is tracking properly will be exhausted through the bleed, and that the pneumatic tracking device will accordingly remain inactive. lVhen, however, lateral displacements of the sheet occur, either more or less of the guide-opening will be covered and will thereby inaugurate operation of the tracking device to automatically correct the displacement.

The guide-opening 45 is connected through a tube 48 with the chamber 49 under the diaphragm 50 of an ordinary pneumatic puppet valve 51, which valve communicates with the power pneumatic 31 through the passage 52. In tracking devices of the type to which this invention relates it has been usual to couple the guide-opening directly with the pneumatic without intervention, of a controlling valve. By means of my improvement, whereby I provide a pneumatic valve for controlling operation of the pneumatic 31, I amenabled to produce a tracking device which is much more sensitive, and which reacts with greater rapidity, to cor rect displacements of the note-sheet than do those of the prior art which operate by admission of air directly to the pneumatic.

The exhaust-opening 4L6 communicates through a tube 53 with an exhaust chest indicated at 54, which chest forms a part of the usual air exhausting apparatus employed in such instruments. A tube 55 connects said chest with the valve 51, and a branch tube 56 connects the chest with aport 57 opening into the pneumatic 58 next described.

The principal function of the pneumatic 58 is to centralize the roll 12 during re-rolling of the note-sheet 13 so as to assure that the sheet will be properly wound up and that an edge of the sheet will pass over the groove 47 while the sheet is being re-rolled. This pneumatic is fastened to andcarried on the outer face of the movable member of the power pneumatic 31, with the hinged end of the former in opposite direction tothe hinged end of the latter, as shown in Fig. 2. A bow spring 59 having one leg fastened to the outer member of the pneumatic 58 and the other leg fastened to the movable member of the pneumatic 31 serves to normally hold the pneumatic inexpanded posi-. tion as-shown. During playing of the note sheet suction is constantly applied to the pneumatic 58 through the tube 56 and port 57, causing said pneumatic to remain in a state of collapse and permitting complete freedom of action of the movable member of the pneumatic 31. When, however, the suction ceases, as during re-rolling of the notesheet, the spring 59 will immediately expand the pneumatic 58 against the U-shaped guard rail 60 and will move the movable member of the pneumatic 31 to the central or neutral position shown in Fig. 2, in which position the note-sheet carrying roll 12 will be in its proper initial position relative to the tracker-bar. Regulating means 61 are preferably provided to permit of adjusting the central position of the movable member devised in which a guide-opening is employed to control the operation of the mechanism, and accordingly I disclaim invention of the guide-opening. I believe, however, that I am the first to improve such mechanisms by the provision of a bleed which opens under thetravelingnote-sheet and which is self-cleaning'by the suction or draft created upon re-rolling the sheet; and to provide a tracking device wherein all of the operative parts are mounted on a carriage, whereby transposition of the notesheet may be effected without interfering with the operation of the device, as hereinabove described and as pointed out in the claims. a

What I claim is:

1. In combination a traveling note-sheet, a member having a pair of openings and a connecting groove disposed in the path of travel of an edge of the sheet, one of the openings being partly, and the other opening and the groove being entirely, covered by said edge, and a pneumatic tracking device connected with said openings and governed by lateral displacements of the sheet for automatically correctingsuch disp1ace-' ments. 7

y 2. In a musical instrument having air exhausting apparatus and employing a travelingnotesheet, the combination with a pneumatically controlled tracking device and a guide-opening connected therewith for governing operation thereof, of an exhaust opening communicating with the air exhausting apparatus, and a groove connecting said openings and forming, when covered by the traveling sheet, a bleed between said openings.

3. The combination of a perforated notesheet, a fixed tracker having a notch in the path of travel of an edge of the sheet, a carriage adjustable longitudinally with respect to the tracker, means for adjusting the carriage, a note-sheet carrying roll and a take-up roll both carried by the carriage, a plate mounted on the carriage to ride in the notch of the tracker, said plate having a pair of openings anda connecting groove over which an edge of the sheet travels, and pneumatic means communicating with said openings and operative automatically to restore the sheet to its correct path of travel upon lateral displacement of the sheet.

4:. The combination with a traveling notesheet, air exhausting apparatus, and a tracker having a guide-opening, of a groove in the face of the tracker and forming, when covered by the traveling sheet, a bleed between the guide-opening and the air exhausting apparatus.

5. In a pneumatic tracking device for a traveling note-sheet, a. tracker provided with two openings and a connecting groove, said travels, pneumatic means connected with said openings and operative upon lateral displacement of the sheet to shift the carrying roll in the opposite direction to an extent equal to the displacement, and pneumatic means for centralizing the position of the carrying roll durin re-rolling of the sheet.

JO EPI-I P. ITULDER. 

